When Jeff Ross, 32, plays, he goes all out. The founder and
president of P.I. Corp., an Austin, Texas, firm specializing in IT
consulting, product distribution and integration, Ross works hard
for 45 to 60 hours a week. But he always makes time (at least eight
to 12 hours per week) to push himself to the limits off the
job by participating in extreme sports like martial arts, sky
diving and mountain biking. "At the end of long days and
weeks," says Ross, "I need to unplug and
recharge."

How do extreme sports, like sky diving or martial arts,
reinvigorate Ross? "They really keep the fear of failure out
of my life," he explains. "Pushing myself to the limits
[in extreme sports] has helped me take my business to heights I and
others never thought possible--by stepping outside my comfort zone.
There's nothing like a great adrenaline rush!" Ross, whose
26-employee company has generated $8 million in sales, credits his
"work hard, play hard" routine as one of the keys to his
success.

Marianne Linde is another entrepreneur who spells stress relief
"e-x-t-r-e-m-e." When the 30-year-old co-founder of
Complete Data Solutions Inc., a technology services company also in
Austin, needs a break, she heads to the lake to go wakeboarding.
Wakeboarders ride a snowboard-like board and "surf" the
wake as they're pulled along by a ski boat. "For me,
[wakeboarding] is a great stress reliever," says Linde.
"Working on the physical aspects of myself, like improving my
wakeboarding skills, makes me feel more balanced. Playing hard
keeps my energy alive."

The notion that exercise is important to relieve stress and
boost energy is nothing new. But why the need for the extreme? Why
not a tamer diversion, like yoga or golf?

"Yoga is just not profound enough for this
generation," observes Dr. Jim Loehr, a renowned sports
psychologist and author of Stress for Success (Times
Business, $14, 800-726-0600). "It doesn't take them far
enough to really create excitement and thrills."

Hence, the need for the extreme. "[Young entrepreneurs]
want to define their limits in new ways," Loehr continues.
"They don't want to just do it in the context of a
professional job, as their [boomer] parents did. They want to run a
Class VI river, go on a Trident Navy Seal retreat, go hiking and
canoeing and cross-country bicycling. All that gets them closer to
an appreciation for how much more in life there is than just a
15-hour day at the office."

Loehr identifies four key benefits to extreme sports that many
successful young entrepreneurs are tapping into:

1. Staying fit--and having fun doing it.
"Extreme sports almost always push you physically," says
Loehr, "which gives you a goal: to get more balance in your
life so you can handle the physical demands of your life."

2. Establishing key relationships. "If
you're CEO of your company, you're fairly alone,"
Loehr says. "You really can't share a lot of personal
things. But when you get out in these extreme sports, you develop
friendships that are extremely dynamic and rich."

3. Recharging your mind. "Extreme sports
enable you to switch gears. You don't think about your business
for a minute--and that gives you complete recovery," says
Loehr.

4. Building self-confidence. "The world is
asking more and more of us all the time, so you really need to have
expanded limits," Loehr advises. "You need a tremendous
amount of resiliency and stamina. Extreme sports kind of suck that
into you."

Sure, you need balance in your life to most effectively grow
your business. But that's old news. What's new is how many
of today's entrepreneurs are achieving that balance. "Most
[baby boomers] thought of stress reduction as going to the
beach," says Loehr. "Now we understand that stress
reduction can be going on a three-day weekend that pushes you to
your absolute max. You come back completely exhausted physically,
but, mentally and emotionally, you're brand new."

Sean M. Lyden (seanlyden@mindspring.com) is
the principal and senior writer of The Professional Writing Firm
Inc., a Kennesaw, Georgia, company that specializes in ghostwriting
articles. Lyden writes frequently on motivation, management and
marketing issues.

Good Sports

Looking for a sport that will push you to the limits but have no
clue what will do the trick for you? Start by consulting the
following magazines (available at your local newsstand, or visit
their Web sites):